Keraia
Numbers 19

Numbers 19:18

Purification of the Unclean · Numbers 19:11–22
Read Numbers 19

Translations

Modern
Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a person who has died or been slain.
Traditional
And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:
Literal
And a man who is ceremonially clean shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the vessels and on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched against a bone, or against the slain, or against the dead, or against a grave.
Latin
…in quibus cum homo mundus tinxerit hyssopum, asperget ex eo omne tentorium, et cunctam supellectilem, et homines hujuscemodi contagione pollutos:

Original

Hebrew
English
Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a person who has died or been slain.

Notes

Numbers 19:17–22

To cleanse with the heifer's ashes, they made a special purifying mixture. They combined ashes from the burnt purification offering with fresh water (compare 5:17).

Numbers 19:11–19

If someone touched a human dead body, that person became ceremonially unclean for seven days (compare Leviticus 21:1–3). This meant a person was not allowed to take part in worship until they were made clean.

To become clean again, the person had to use the water of purification. This water was sprinkled on the third day and again on the seventh day.

Numbers 19:1–22

This section explains how ordinary Israelites can become ceremonially clean again after touching a corpse and avoid defiling the Tent of Meeting (see 9:4–12; Leviticus 17:15; 21:1–4, 11–12). God's holiness demands that the place of his presence remains pure and separate from pollution (compare 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, 18–20).

Theme notes and profiles

Baptism Clean, Unclean, and Holy Living Water

Glossary

Banish, Banishment Biblical Concept of Law Deuteronomy, Book of Hyssop John the Baptist Numbers, Book of Water of Separation

Topics

Burial were Ceremonially Unclean Burial: Burying Places: Anyone Who Touched, Were Unclean Defilement: Caused by Touching the Dead Defilement: Cleansed by Legal offerings Purification: Water of Purifications or Baptisms by Sprinkling The Dead: Uncleanness Contracted From, Removed by the Water Separation Water of Separation